San Marcos residents designing military memorial

SAN MARCOS ——- A group of residents said this week they are
designing a memorial to honor armed services veterans who live in
San Marcos or have family in town.

Luanne Hulsizer and her husband, Councilman Mike Preston, said
they formed a committee of 10 to 12 members in February and hope to
have a memorial ready for the public by Veterans Day 2007.

"The first priority will to be to honor all veterans living in
San Marcos and veterans with family in San Marcos," Preston said.
"But the committee is leaning toward opening up the memorial at
some point to veterans of surrounding communities."

Preston said the group has secured permission from city
officials to build the memorial in a small neighborhood park on the
northeastern edge of San Marcos, called Helen Bougher Memorial
Park.

The city will provide the land, and the committee will raise all
the money for the memorial, Hulsizer said. Members hope to raise at
least $135,000, she said, adding that she doesn't think it would be
difficult to raise $200,000, if needed.

The committee hopes to have designs complete by October so that
they can hold a neighborhood workshop and then take the plans to
the City Council for approval in November, said Hulsizer.

She said the group was working with the Schmidt Design Group, a
San Diego-based firm that has done projects in San Marcos and has
experience with memorials.

She said the committee is looking into several design elements,
including an illuminated flagpole, statues, stone monuments, a star
representing the five branches of the armed services and bricks or
plaques with the names of veterans.

"We want the design to represent all branches of the armed
services," said Hulsizer, who added that the memorial would be for
those who served in times of conflict and times of peace. "We also
want it to be suitable to the neighborhood, and utilize the park
setting."

The park, on Woodland Parkway and Borden Road, has about two
dozen trees and several open, grassy areas.

City Manager Rick Gittings said city staff members decided the
park would be a perfect place for the memorial.

"The park is underutilized and really doesn't have any specific
recreational programs on it," said Gittings, a retired Marine. "It
would be a good place for a memorial because it has a relaxing,
serene feel."

Many people take walks or sit in the park, and it is never too
busy, said Keith Mattern, who has lived in a house next to the park
since 1978.

He said it may be better to have a memorial closer to the center
of town, but he doesn't object to having one at the park bordering
Escondido.

"It will be a good introduction to San Marcos," said Mattern,
who added that many people drive by the park and would see the
memorial. "I think it is a good thing to have memorials around
town, and we don't have many of them."

A peace memorial stands at the eastern edge of San Elijo Hills,
and the obelisk, surrounded by flowers, honors those who served
their country.

Palomar College also has the names of former students who died
in the Vietnam and Iraq wars on granite plaques set into a brick
wall in front of flagpole near the student union.

Mary Tennant, who retired as the school's veterans adviser in
July, formed the committee that raised $17,000 to create the
memorial. Tennant lives in Lake San Marcos, and she said building a
memorial in the city is "a wonderful idea."

"I think it can only be an enhancement for a city," Tennant
said. "I know other cities have done it."

Tennant and members of the San Marcos group said that Fallbrook,
Encinitas and Temecula have memorials for veterans.

They said San Marcos should have a memorial because many
residents have served in the armed services.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars post in San Marcos has 525 members,
said trustee Robert Abrams.

"I think this is a terrific idea," Abrams said. "I think this is
something we need."

But before filling the need, the group faces a lot of decisions,
said Ted Roosvall, a World War II veteran serving on the
committee.

Roosvall said the group needs to work on the design and decide
exactly who the memorial will honor.

"So far, we have only taken baby steps," Roosvall said. "This is
still in the infancy stages."